The Bet
by Crittab
Summary: What happens when Luke bets Lorelai that she cannot go through a full week without flirting? Coffee is on the line! WITH A NEW ALTERNATE ENDING! Complete JJ FOREVER
1. The Bet

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH. This fic is based loosely on a this fanfiction challenge:

'luke makes a bet with lorelai that she can't not flirt for a week.  
she takes on the bet, and tries not to flirt for a week.  
MAKE IT FUNNY.  
NOT CORNY.  
luke and lorelai MUST end up TOGETHER at the end ofthe story.  
include some makeout scenes.  
rory can be with either tristan or jess '

Now, on with the show!

**The Bet**

Lorelai sat at the end of the counter watching Luke as he went through his receipts for the day. She had come in moments before, ignoring his gruff voice as he clearly informed her that the diner was closed. She shrugged him off and sat down regardless of his protests.

The diner was empty, and the lights to the kitchen had been turned off. Luke was trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but was finding it difficult, as Lorelai hadn't stopped staring at him the entire time she'd been in the diner.

Realizing that her gaze wasn't going to get her coffee, she got up and moved down several stools until she was sitting directly in front of him. He glanced up at her for a fraction of a second before returning to his work.

"Oh Luke," she said in a flirty, sing-song tone. He sighed and put down the receipts looking up at her. "Can I have some coffee?" she asked with her biggest smile. He shook his head.

"I just cleaned out the pot," he said, returning his gaze to the receipts.

"But if I don't have coffee then I just wont have the energy to get me home. I'll have to stay here, and we both know you don't want _that_ to happen," she said, leaning a bit closer, "I tend to talk in my sleep, and well, you just never know what I'm going to dream about. Especially when I'm in some hunky bachelors apartment." She finished with a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat, which made Luke more then a little uncomfortable. He gathered up all of the receipts from the counter and put them back into the register before looking up at her.

"You can have some coffee," he said. She perked up, "At your own house. Now go on, I need to close up." Her smirk vanished.

"You're not really going to kick a caffeine starved woman out into the streets late at night with no hot beverage to use as a weapon against criminals, are you?" She put on her best 'Protect me' face, but Luke just rolled his eyes.

"It's late. Don't you have some kind of junk food marathon to start?" he asked, attempting to usher her out the door, not having the energy to deal with her antics after the long day he had just finished. She stopped short, nearly causing him to run into her. She turned toward him, a little closer then he would have preferred.

"You know, Luke. I've been known to do special favors in exchange to coffee," she said with flirty grin. He rolled his eyes.

"Lorelai…" he warned. Her faced turned to mock innocence.

"What? I was talking about cleaning the cup out myself. Why? What did _you _have in mind?" Luke sighed heavily.

"You know, it's kind of sad that you're willing to flirt with anyone for something like a cup of coffee," he said, crossing his arms in front of him. "I think you have a problem." Lorelai raised her eyebrows.

"Luke, we've already established that I'm addicted to coffee, and I like it that way."

"I'm not just talking about coffee. I'm talking about flirting. You're shameless," he said, barely hiding the grin on his face, knowing he was bugging her. She just looked at him, feigning shock.

"I am _not_ a shameless flirt, Lucas," she said, punctuating his full name. He rolled his eyes.

"Last week you flirted with Kirk to get him to give you the last Danish. Yesterday you flirted with Tom so you could sit directly in front of me to annoy me, and then you proceeded to flirt with me to give you yet another cup of liquid death. In fact, you even flirted with the Clancy kid so he would rake your lawn for you. It's sad, Lorelai. Very sad."

"And completely effective," she said with a wide smile. Luke shook his head.

"I think you're so used to flirting to get your way that you might actually be incapable of using other methods of persuasion." Lorelai looked at him with her mouth agape. "What? Do you think I'm wrong?" she nodded, her mouth still open in shock.

"I am perfectly capable of using other methods of _persuasion," _she argued. He just grinned. "Oh, what? You don't think I can?"

"I've never seen it," he said, the grin never leaving his face. She gasped dramatically.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," she said, not entirely joking. He just laughed lightly.

"Okay, you think you can get what you want without flirting for it?"

"I know I can," she said, confidence dripping from her voice. He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, prove it," he challenged. She looked at him a second, her confidence faltering ever so slightly.

"What do you propose?" she asked, genuinely curious as to what his wager may be.

"I propose a bet."

"Being…"

"I bet you can't go one week without flirting." Lorelai laughed.

"One week? That's it?"

"That's it," he confirmed. She looked at him a moment, considering the bet.

"And what if I do it? What do I get?" he thought about it for a moment.

"Free coffee for a week," he proposed. She raised an eyebrow.

"As many cups as I want?"

"As many as you want."

"With no snarky comments about healthiness or death?"

"No snarking," he confirmed.

"And what if you win?" she asked, worrying about what he would want.

"If I win," he stopped, wondering what a proper punishment would be, "If I win you have to give up coffee for a whole week," he finally said. She looked at him incredulously.

"Are you serious?" she asked. He nodded. "You want me to give up on my life source for a whole week?" he nodded again. "Are you trying to kill me?" he just grinned. She looked at him unsurely for a moment, but pushed it aside, "Fine. I can do it," she said. He put out his hand to shake on it. She looked at it for a moment, still considering the consequence if she should slip up. Despite her better judgment she reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly. He laughed lightly when she did.

"This is gonna be fun," he said evilly. She lowered her eyes at him.

"You'd better buy a truckload of coffee, Mister. I'm gonna be milking my win for all it's worth." He just laughed. Finally, Lorelai turned and headed out the door, allowing Luke to lock up.

He wasn't sure what this week would bring, but he was certainly looking forward to it.

Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think :)


	2. Day One

Day One

Lorelai awoke the next morning earlier than usual. The sun was shining brightly through her shades, making sleep impossible.

Slowly she pulled herself out of bed, silently cursing the sun for rising so early. She trekked over to her closet and pulled it open. She was about to pull out a slightly less-than-professional business suit with a skirt that hit her at about mid-thigh when she remembered her deal with Luke.

"No flirting means no flirty outfits," she said to herself in a low voice. She pushed the suit aside and pulled out another one; a black pants suit, and a purple flowered blouse to wear underneath. "This should keep Luke out of my hair," she said. She laid the clothes on her bed and went about her morning routine. Finally she came down to the kitchen where she found Rory making a pot of coffee.

"Morning hun," she said, walking into the kitchen. Rory turned, leaning back against the counter.

"Morning," she said, yawning into her hand.

"Why so tired?" Lorelai asked, walking past her to the cupboard and pulling out two mugs.

"I was up late studying for my Chemistry test. Mr. Komo is notorious for making them as miserable as possible, and since I want to start the semester off well, I wanted to make sure I left nothing out."

"You'll do fine, Kid," Lorelai assured her. She pulled the freshly brewed coffee pot out of the maker and poured them both a cup of the liquid.

"Thanks," Rory said, accepting the cup.

"Although I'm sure you're current sleepiness can be attributed as much to your late night telephone tag with Bible Boy as it is to studying..." Lorelai teased, sipping her coffee innocently.

"I have asked you repeatedly not to call him that, Mom. It's 'Tristan'. T.R.I.S.T.A.N," Rory said, enunciating every letter ever so properly.

"Also known as Spawn of Satan, Evil One, and, as previously mentioned, Bible Boy." Rory rolled her eyes and took a sip of the coffee, choosing to change the subject rather then to continue on with the completely useless conversation.

"You look nice," she said, noticing her Mother's more-professional-than-usual attire. "What's the occasion?" she took a long drink from her cup.

"Nothing, really. I have a meeting with the town spirit committee about an event they want to hold at the inn, but nothing major."

"Then what's with the suit?" she asked. Lorelai shrugged.

"I wanted to look nice? Is that bad?" Rory shrugged.

"You just don't usual dress so…" Rory stumbled for a proper word.

"So what?"

"Professional," she stated. Lorelai sighed and moved to the table, plopping down in a chair.

"Well, it's either this or no coffee for a week," she said. Rory raised an eyebrow and approached the table, sitting in another chair.

"I need a few more syllables here." Lorelai took a long drink from her cup and set it down .

"Luke bet me I couldn't go a week without flirting. Now, he didn't specify, but I think dressing slutty for meetings counts as being a little on the flirty side." Rory just looked at her, slightly amused. "What?"

"You'll never make it a week," she said after a moment. Lorelai's jaw dropped.

"What do you mean I wont make it?" Rory laughed lightly.

"I mean you're a perfectly capable business woman, Mom. But you are known for using your… wiles, to get what you want." Lorelai looked at her incredulously.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you. You were supposed to be on _my_ side."

"I _am_ on your side. I just don't know if you can hack it. A week is a long time, and our gutters need to be cleaned out," Rory said, knowing she was hitting all the right buttons. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"I'll get them cleaned. I'll just do it the way all the other people do it," she said. Rory raised an eyebrow. "I'll threaten that Clancy kid. I think he's already kinda scared of me." Rory laughed and shook her head.

"Look, I wish you the best of luck on your little… endeavor. I've got to go catch the bus, I can't be late for my test."

"Or for your hunky hunky chunk of man meat," Lorelai added with a smile. Rory rolled her eyes.

"Just go back to Bible Boy." With that Rory took the final gulp of her coffee and placed it in the sink. After grabbing her backpack she gave her mom a hug and headed out the door, leaving Lorelai to contemplate her daughters perspective.

Around 8:30 Lorelai made her way into the Independence Inn. She nodded to several guests scattered around before heading into the kitchen to find Sookie and coffee.

"Morning sweetie," Sookie said brightly when Lorelai came into the kitchen.

"Morning Sook," she said, heading straight for the coffee.

"How are you?" Sookie asked. Lorelai shrugged.

"I'm okay. You?" Sookie shrugged.

"Okay," she responded. Lorelai took a sip of her coffee before realizing that Sookie was looking at her with a grin. She put down the mug and flashed a wide, fake grin at her friend.

"What's up, Sook?" Sookie laughed.

"Luke was in here this morning," she said with laughter in her voice. Lorelai sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "He mentioned a little bet the two of you had going on."

"And he asked you to keep an eye on me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Sookie laughed.

"I think it's funny, really. He seems to be taking it really seriously. He told Michel to call him the second you did something that normal people would consider flirtatious." Lorelai laughed lightly.

"I don't get it, Sookie. Why doesn't he think I can do it?" Sookie looked at her with a bit of a grin.

"Can you do it?" Lorelai looked at her incredulously.

"Of course I can do it," she responded, a little snappier than she had planned. Sookie just grinned.

"I believe you honey," she said. Lorelai continued to glare at her.

"But…"

"But you are a huge flirt." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I mean, it's a great thing, you've sealed many a deal with clients over the years by flirting. It's a great skill to have. I don't know if you can just turn it off for a whole week though. A week is a long time, and it seems too natural for you," Sookie explained. Lorelai sighed.

"I don't get it. Nobody has any faith in me. First Luke, then Rory, now you..."

"No, honey. I do. I really do."

"Then why don't you think I can turn it off?"

"Because I've never seen it. But if you think you can do it, then I believe you. I'm behind you on this." Lorelai smiled lightly.

"It's a pretty ridiculous bet, isn't it?" Sookie laughed lightly.

"Most things in this town are, hun. But I understand why you're doing it." Lorelai raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Sookie shrugged.

"I mean it's Luke. You always jump at the chance to impress him," she said. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"It's a bet about a completely trivial matter, Sookie. It's not like I bet him I could cure cancer."

"No, but it's still something between you two. And between you and me, I think he would love to see you succeed." Lorelai just shrugged and grabbed her cup of coffee.

"Well, that remains to be seen. Anyways, I have to get get ready for that meeting with Taylor and Andrew." With that Lorelai walked out of the kitchen and into her office, closing the door behind her.

So far it hadn't been difficult not to flirt, but she knew the real test would come when she was faced with two men haggling for the price of renting the conference room. She knew she could do it, but was still unsure about how difficult it may be.

It was one o'clock when Lorelai met up with Taylor and Andrew in her office. She was determined to be entirely professional, and not to give in to her flirtatious nature.

"As the town selectman, I feel I should be given a better price on the room then just an average person. I am the face of this town. That should mean something," Taylor argued, not wanting to pay the $200 fee for the room.

"But that's the price of the room, Taylor. It's always been that price, and will always be that price." Lorelai could feel a headache coming on and just wanted to finish the meeting. Taylor had been nagging and nagging since he came in nearly half an hour ago. Normally she would have used her smile and charm to get him to just agree to the price, but was determined not to spend a week coffee-less.

"If I am going to pay this price I'm going to want a bonus along with the room."

"A bonus like what, Taylor? A dancing porcupine?" Lorelai asked, resisting the urge to throttle the annoying man.

"Like something more than just the room. A buffet, perhaps, for the guests," he suggested.

"You want our best conference room _and_ a buffet for $200?" Lorelai asked. Taylor nodded, feeling entitled. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We can't do that, Taylor. The buffet would cost you at least another $50, depending on what foods you serve, plus the time it would take to prepare the food." Taylor huffed.

"Fine, Lorelai. We'll pay the $200. But don't expect us to be sending any business your way for quite a while." With that Taylor jumped out of his chair. "Come on, Andrew. We're going to have to sell half of the committee members to make the money for this event."

Lorelai watched as Taylor stormed out and Andrew walked behind him, throwing her an apologetic look as he closed the door behind her him. She dropped her head in her hands, warding off the impending headache. With a glance at her clock she realized it was past lunch time. She grabbed her keys and coat and headed out to Luke's for lunch.

When she entered the diner several moments later she found it practically empty, save a few stragglers here and there. She found her way to the counter and plopped down on a stool, waiting for Luke.

"You look like hell," he said, coming over to her with a cup and pot of coffee. He set the cup down in front of her and poured the liquid into it.

"Thanks. You look like an Angel," she said, taking the coffee from him and taking a long drink.

"What's the matter?" he asked. She sighed deeply.

"Taylor," she said. He nodded understandingly.

"What'd he do this time?" he asked.

"He's just being a pain. He wanted a room for less than half the price at the inn, and got mad when I wouldn't give it to him. Normally I would come up with an amicable option for him, but today they were just escaping me."

"Couldn't flirt your way out of it, huh?" Luke asked with a small grin. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"For your information he left after agreeing to pay full price. See? I can do business without flirting."

"And you come out of it so well," he remarked. She rolled her eyes.

"Just get me a burger and fries Burger Boy. This mood is your fault. Start groveling." Luke just laughed and turned back to the kitchen, giving Caesar the order and then headed out to serve a customer that had just come in.

The rest of Lorelai's day was relatively uneventful. She had gone back to work at the inn and locked herself in her office, doing paperwork until 6:00 PM when she decided to head home.

'One day down' she thought to herself as she crawled into bed later that evening. She sunk down deep into her sheets and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come.

Despite her tiredness, she couldn't shut her brain off. Between Taylor and the various people who had assured her she couldn't make it a week without flirting, she was sufficiently stressed, and insulted.

Before sleep could take over she allowed her thoughts to drift to Luke, and why she had taken him up on this ridiculous bet in the first place. Sookie had said it was because of her desire to impress him, but she couldn't figure why she did want to impress him. Maybe it was because they were friends and she wanted to prove to her friends that she was more then just a shameless flirt. But maybe it was something more then that. Something more then she was willing to admit.

With that as she final thought she allowed sleep to take over, as she plunged into unconsciousness.

I'm sorry to the Jess/Rory shippers, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's too painful! Hope you liked it despite the Troryness (Because I love my Trory!). Comments, Queries, Concerns, Bribes, and Abuse welcome :D


	3. Day Two

Day 2

The day was in full swing, and it had brought much less stress then the previous day. It was nearly five o'clock when Lorelai found herself standing behind the front desk with Michel going through messages he had written down for her.

"The air conditioning won't work in rooms14 and 16? Didn't we just have Tom's guys come in to fix the air conditioning?" she asked no one in particular. Being the 'helpful' guy he was, however, Michel felt compelled to reply.

"Maybe had we hired the electrician _I_ suggested we would not have this problem," he said in his thick French accent.

"Or maybe they just forgot to do that room," Lorelai said, picking up the phone and ignoring Michel's comment.

After a moment of ringing Lorelai heard Tom's voice on the other end of the phone.

'_Tom's contracting,'_

'_Tom, hi. It's Lorelai.'_

'_What can I do for ya?'_

'_Well, we're having a bit of a problem with the air conditioning in a few of our rooms. I realize that you're guys were in here fixing that problem just last week, and I was wondering if there was any chance that they just missed those rooms, or if they weren't able to fix the problem?'_

'_My guys can fix anything, Lorelai. And I'm sure they were very thorough.'_

'_But we're still having the problem, Tom. We need it to be fixed. Our guests need air conditioning.'_

'_What are you suggesting about my workers?'_

'_Suggesting? No, Tom. I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just saying that maybe it's possible that they missed something when they were in here last week.'_

'_Listen, Lorelai. I'll send two of them over there tomorrow to fix the problem, but I'm sure it's nothing. The guests probably just don't know how to turn it on.'_

'_Well, lets hope that's the problem.'_

'_Okay. So the charge for tomorrow is going to be about $40 an hour."_

'_Well, can't we just wait and see if the mistake was theirs? I did pay them last week, and the problem isn't fixed.' _Lorelai began to fidget. Normally in this situation all she would have to do would be to flirt just a little bit, and she would get off scott-free. Now, being that she had involved herself in this ridiculous wager, she felt compelled to handle the situation like anyone else. Suck it up.

'_Are you suggesting that I give you my guys' service for free, Lorelai?'_

'_Well, it's not really for free since it's the job I paid them to do last week that didn't get done.'_

'_I already told you my men are thorough. You'll have to pay full price for them.'_

'_Tom, I can't pay for the same thing twice when they didn't deliver the first time!'_

'_Then you won't get our service, Lorelai.' _Lorelai was seething.

'_But it needs to be fixed!' _She argued.

'_Then you need to pay!'_ Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, Lorelai gave in.

'_Fine, Tom. Send them by tomorrow. I'm not happy about this, though.'_

'_Well, boo hoo for you.'_

'_Goodbye, Tom.'_

Lorelai slammed the phone down with a growl. Michel looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Now you know how I feel," he said. Lorelai looked at him, confused. "We can't all flirt for what we want, Lorelai. Some of us have to use our other skills to get what we want. Now you know what it's like to be a man," he finished. Lorelai sighed.

"And one so charming as yourself," she said. With that she turned and left the front desk, heading back to her office to grab her coat before leaving for the day.

When she arrived home that night she allowed herself to finally think about what Michel had told her. While he was rarely useful for a good point, this time she thought he might actually have one. She had always used her good looks and flirtatious nature to seal deals with male clients. She never had to bother using other methods because that always worked. Now that she was unable to flirt, she felt almost as though she had a handicap. She had lost her 'thing'.

When she crawled into her bed late that night, her thoughts returned to Luke. She wondered what he thought about her to make him think that all she was, was a shameless flirt. She hoped that wasn't the image she put forth, but considering the way she had been treated the past few days, and the way things had just not been working out for her, she began to wonder.

Suddenly she sat up and grabbed the phone that was placed next to her bed. Taking a moment to remember the number, she began to dial. A moment later a groggy male voice responded.

'_Hello?' _Luke asked, groggy after having been asleep for a few hours.

'_When you look at me, what do you see?' _Lorelai asked.

'_Who is this? Lorelai?'_ Luke asked, trying to figure out what was going on in his dazed state.

'_No. The Tooth Fairy. Now answer the question.' _

_'Someone with a really unhygenic hobby?'_

_'What?'_

_'Well, collecting people's teeth is kind of gross.' _

_'Come on Luke, answer me seriously. What do you see?'_

Luke hesitated to respond. He wasn't entirely sure where she planned to go with this, and knew that if he answered completely truthfully it could lead to embarrassment, and potentially the end to a very important friendship in his life.

'_What are you talking about?'_ He asked, deciding it would be safer to be sure about the question than to just give any response.

'_I mean when you look at me. When you watch me interact. Do you see someone who is just some pathetic, shameless flirt?' _Lorelai was genuinely worried that the person she respected so much saw her just as a flirt, and nothing more.

'_Lorelai, you know I don't think that.' _He wanted her to know that he thought she was nothing short of wonderful, but resisted the urge to say so.

'_Don't you? If you didn't why would you make that bet with me. Do you think I'm incapable of going through my life without flirting?'_

'_This is all about that stupid bet?'_ He asked. Lorelai was silent. _'Look, Lorelai. If it's bothering you that much we can just drop it. I didn't think it would upset you so much.'_

'_No, I don't want to drop it. I need this bet. No one believes in me, Luke. No one thinks I can do it, and now I feel like I need to prove it. I need to prove that I'm an intelligent business woman and not just someone who gets by on my looks and charm.'_

_'What charm?' _She chose to ignore his sleepy attempts at wit.

_'Why do people think I'm just a flirt and nothing else?' _

'_Lorelai, no one thinks that about you. Everyone knows you're a great businesswoman'_

'_But they don't, Luke. No one does. They all think that I am completely incapable of getting anything I need without flirting for it. It's insulting, but after these past two days I'm beginning to worry that they're right. Everything has been harder. Nothing is working out the way it should.'_ Luke suddenly felt guilty for putting her through this. He knew that she was a perfectly capable business woman, and he didn't want to be responsible for taking away a completely effective tool that she used to get what she needed.

'_Lorelai, relax. I have complete faith in your ability to conduct business without flirting to get what you need. Maybe you haven't had to do it much before, but now you have the opportunity to prove that you can. You're going to do just fine. Trust me.'_

'_Why are you being so nice about this? Should you be the one trying to convince me I can't do it?'_ Luke grinned.

'_Well, I'm half asleep. Maybe I'll bug you more in the morning.'_ It was now that Lorelai realized she had woken him up.

'_Oh no, I woke you up, didn't I?'_

'_Just a little,' _he said with a smile.

'_Geez, I'm sorry Luke. Go back to sleep. I'll see you in the morning.'_

'_Alright. Goodnight Lorelai.'_

'_Oh, and Luke?' _she said, almost as an afterthought.

'_Yeah?'_

'_Thanks for have faith in me.'_ Luke smiled.

'_Goodnight,' _he said.

'_Night'. _

With that the conversation was over. Lorelai put the telephone back in it's holder and sunk back into her sheets, a little smile playing on her lips.

'He has faith in me,' she thought to herself. And with that final thought she drifted into unconsciousness, feeling much better then she had for the past few days.

_Hey guys. At this point I can go one of two ways. I have a final chapter all written up that kinda skips over the next several days and goes straight to the end. However, I could also continue doing this on a day-by-day basis... Just let me know what you want, and if I can find the time to write more chapters I'll do it. Hope you liked the javajunkie goodness :)_


	4. Day Three

Day 3

Lorelai awoke feeling refreshed. She pulled herself out of bed and walked over to her closet, pulling out a pair of dark wash jeans, a blue t-shirt and a white blazer. She was finally starting to realize that she didn't have to dress stuffy so as not to be flirtatious. She just wanted to be herself today. She knew that if she was herself, minus the flirting, then things would start to work out again.

After completing her morning routine she bounded down the stairs more energetically then anyone should at that early hour. When she reached the bottom step she nearly bowled over Rory who was walking by the staircase.

"Geez, where's the fire?" Rory asked, unnerved.

"The roof?" Lorelai asked with a grin, walking past her and going into the kitchen.

"What's got you so upbeat?" Rory followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Lorelai shrugged and poured them both a cup of coffee.

"I dunno. I just feel good today." she smiled and sat down in another chair. Rory smiled and took a sip.

"So how's the bet going? Did you blow it yet?" Rory grinned. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"As a matter of fact, Missy, I've been doing exceptionally well."

"Really?"

"Really. In fact, I think I'm perfectly capable of doing just about anything without resorting to flirting."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"It's danish day, what if you don't get one?"

"Then I will calmly negotiate with Kirk. No problem there. He's easy to handle." Rory chuckled. "Dirty?" Lorelai asked. Rory nodded. "But seriously kid, have a little more faith in Mommy. I may have gotten off to a rocky start, but I think now I may actually be getting good at all of this non-flirting stuff."

"Glad to hear it," Rory said with a grin. She had known from the beginning her mother was entirely capable of not flirting for what she wanted, but it was always more fun to tease her. Lorelai smiled.

"Does this mean you're on my side now?" Rory laughed lightly.

"I was always on your side. It's just so much more fun to pretend to be on Luke's side to get a rise out of you." Lorelai scowled at her.

"You and Sookie, all you non-believers. Even Luke has more faith in me."

"Isn't he the one you're supposed to be proving this to?" Rory asked. She sat up and put her cup in the sink and leaned against the counter. Lorelai shrugged.

"I think it started out that way, but now I'm not so sure. I think I need to prove it to myself now. Luke kinda helped me see that." Rory raised an eyebrow, Lorelai felt compelled to explain. "I was upset last night so I called Luke, don't ask me why. But he really made me feel better about everything. He said he has faith in my business skills and he made me understand that I should too."

"That's so cute," Rory said with a wide grin. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"It is not 'cute'. It's one friend cheering up another friend."

"No, it was Luke cheering up Lorelai. It's a far different concept." Lorelai sighed and decided not to argue about it. She stood up and placed her cup in the sink.

"Here's another concept for ya, Kid. If you don't run right now you're gonna miss the bus, and then who's gonna be there to cheer up Bible Boy when his precious Mary isn't there promptly at nine?" Rory looked at the clock on the microwave startled and quickly grabbed her bag and ran to the door.

"I've got the Franklin after school today. See you at five!" she called back on her way out the door, slamming it behind her. Lorelai chuckled lightly at her daughter before returning her thoughts to what she had said.

She was right, Lorelai realized. Luke and Lorelai were never 'just' friends. Luke consoling Lorelai was not just one friend consoling another, it was just that: Luke and Lorelai.

She didn't know where all of these thoughts about the state of their relationship had come from, but they were all very exhilarating.

Taking her newfound excitement about life, and realizations about the state of her relationship with Luke, Lorelai grabbed her coat and slipped on her shoes before heading out to work. She hoped nothing would bring down her mood today, it was just too good.

Lorelai walked into the inn at 8:45 and found Michel standing behind the front desk arguing with a guest.

"But I paid for the room, therefore I paid for the things in the room, therefore I paid for the liquor in the mini-fridge!" the man screamed.

"Sir, the liquor in the refrigerator was not part of the package. Everybody knows that. It is an extra which is painfully overpriced, and if you choose to drink all of the liquor, you will be left with an outrageous room fee. You are required to pay the full fee!" Michel snapped back. Lorelai groaned inwardly and headed over to fix the mess.

"Hey, what's the problem here?" she asked, coming behind the desk to stand next to Michel.

"This man refuses to pay for the fourteen bottles of liquor which he and his lady friend drank during their stay. I've tried to explain to him that it was not part of the package, but he just wont listen to me," Michel explain, frustration evident in his voice.

"I paid good money for my room, and that means I paid for everything in my room. I paid for the bed, the pillows, the TV, and for the contents of the mini fridge!" the man yelled.

"Sir, please calm down," Lorelai began, "I realize that you paid a lot of money for your room here at the Independence Inn, and we greatly appreciate your business. However the liquor in the fridge wasn't a part of the package that you paid for, so the consumption of the liquor entitles you to pay for it," she explained. The man scowled at her.

"This is the worst service I've ever had at a hotel. The absolute worst."

"Sir, please try to understand, if I could help you I would, but the liquor which you consumed was not included in the price you paid for the room. I realize it may seem like it should have been, and we'll have to make that more clear in our pamphlets, but unfortunately since this is the case we're going to have to ask you to pay for it." Lorelai took a deep breath before continuing. "I realize that this is an inconvenience for you, so as our gift we would like to offer you a 20 percent discount on your next stay here at the Independence Inn." The man looked as though her was going to explode again, but then his expression changed.

"Well… I don't know. This is still outrageous to me," he began. "Well, alright. Fine. Although I doubt I'll be staying _here_ again anytime soon." He pulled out his credit card and paid with a huff.

"I'm sorry we couldn't be more accommodating for you, Sir. I hope you enjoyed your stay otherwise," Lorelai said with a smile. The man shrugged grumpily.

"It was okay… Until now," he added with a huff. Lorelai nodded her understand.

"Thank you for being so understanding Sir. I hope you'll come back some time and stay with us again." With that the man turned and stomped out of the Inn, with a small apologetic seeming woman on his tail. When they were finally out of earshot both Lorelai and Michel let out a breath.

"Oy with the poodles already," Lorelai said with an exaggerated sigh. Michel rolled his eyes.

"I wont ask," he said, turning back to the computer monitor in front of him. Lorelai nodded.

"Good plan." With that she left the front desk and headed to her office, feeling proud to have handled the situation so well.

While the rest of the day was fairly uneventful, Lorelai was still in a bubbly mood when she left that evening. Realizing she hadn't had dinner yet she headed to the diner where she found Luke lazily wiping down the counter which was already spotless. Taking a seat in front of him, Lorelai was a little concerned when he didn't stop or even recognize her presence.

"Luke?" she asked. He didn't look up. "Luuuuke," she said, dragging his name out this time. "Hey, Luke," she said, this time putting her hand on his to stop the incessant wiping. He jerked his hand away suddenly, startled.

"Geez, Lorelai. When did you get here?" he asked, clearly coming out of oblivion.

"Well don't I feel loved," she said with a fake pout. He sighed.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"No, really? I thought that was your complete awareness face." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Coffee?" he asked, grabbing a mug and the pot before waiting for her answer.

"You mean the nectar of the gods? Drink of all things holy? Heavenly brew of sweet ambrosia in a cup?" Luke rolled his eyes. "Coffee's good," she said with a grin. He poured the hot liquid into a cup and slid it over to counter to her. "Hey, can I also get a cheeseburger and chili-fries?" Luke called the order out to Caesar.

"You're going to die young," he said in his normal gruff tone.

"So why are you so crabby tonight?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I'm not crabby."

"You are crabby. If you were any crabbier I'd be catching you in a net and releasing you into the Atlantic." Luke just shrugged.

"Just a long day, I guess," he said, not wanting to reveal to her that she had interrupted him from a very enticing train of thought… about her. She smiled and nodded.

"Mine wasn't so bad, actually. I think I'm finally figuring out this whole non-flirting thing. You're going down, Burger Boy!" she said with a grin. He just grinned, feeling slightly uplifted now that she was here.

"It's only been three days. You've got plenty of time to screw up," he picked. She feigned a hurt look.

"And after all of those nice things you said last night," she said. He shrugged.

"Yea, well, don't want you to get too cocky," he said.

"With coffee in the balance, I'm gonna need to maintain my spirit," she said, pumping a fist in the air. He laughed lightly and turned back to the kitchen where Caesar was ready with her order.

"Here you go, Junkie. Enjoy your death," he said. With that he walked out from the counter with his pad to serve a customer that had just walked in. Lorelai just smiled as he walked away, enjoying the fluttery feeling their banter had left in her stomach. It was often that she felt giddy about a guy, but the fact that this was Luke made it even more special.

But still, she was a little wary. It would have to be at least another four days before she could do anything about her feelings, and even then she didn't know how he would respond. Although she had a hunch he was into her to, and had been assured of that numerous times by various townspeople, and Sookie and Rory, she was still unsure of what exactly Luke's feelings toward her were.

Deciding it was useless to think about, she settled into her seat and took a big bite of her hamburger, enjoying her death immensely.

**So I decided to carry on with it on a day by day basis. I figured the story was worth a few more chapters. Hope you liked it, let me know**


	5. Day Four

**A/N- Hey guys. What you need to know for this chapter is it takes place (As does the whole story, should have told you earlier) not too long after episode 2:14 "It Should Have Been Lorelai".**

Day 4

Lorelai walked into the bustling diner at Seven-thirty the next morning. She and Rory didn't often have time to eat at Luke's before Rory caught her bus in the morning, so they decided to get up early and go out. It took her a moment to navigate her way through the crowded tables to the only empty one in the back corner before plopping down and grabbing a menu, although she already knew what was on it.

A moment later Rory came into the diner. She looked around for a moment before spotting her mother in the corner and going over to sit next to her.

"Geez. It's like the carnival is in town or something," Rory commented as she slipped off her coat.

"Look around, Rory. This is something you and I rarely have a chance to see. We've heard about it, but have never actually experienced it," Lorelai said, scanning the diner.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, following her Mother's gaze.

"Morning people," she clarified. "I had doubts that they existed, but as you can see, they're real, and abundant." Rory nodded exaggeratedly, playing along.

"I didn't think it was possible. I've been told that people get up and out before eight, but I just never believed it." Lorelai shrugged.

"Well, I will never look at the world the same way again. So, how's my darling spawn this morning?" She asked, changing the topic.

"I'm okay. Friday night dinner is tonight, though," she said. Lorelai cringed.

"Uck. Way to bring down the mood before breakfast. I need sustenance before you lay that on me, remember?" Rory flashed her mother an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I'll get us some coffee," she said, standing up and heading to the counter where Luke was busy writing down a patron's order.

"Hey Rory, I'll be with you in a second," he said, nodding his hello and turning back to Gypsy who was placing her order. Rory just smiled and waited until he had turned his attention to her.

"What can I get you?" he asked after a moment.

"Two coffees and two orders of blueberry pancakes and eggs with sausages," she said with a smile. Luke wrote down the order and gave it to Caesar before grabbing two mugs and filling them up.

"You sure you don't want some orange juice or something? Something to start your day of healthily?" he asked. Rory grinned.

"I'm not up for oj this morning, but Mom might be. Why don't you ask her?" she suggested with a gleam in her eye. Luke chuckled.

"Just go sit down and wait for your pancakes," he said. Rory chuckled and grabbed the coffees, navigating her way back to the table.

"Did he try to wrangle you into having something healthy?" Lorelai asked, accepting the coffee. Rory laughed.

"Luke would never do that. He's perfectly accepting of our eating habits."

"Yes, just like we're accepting of his," Lorelai joked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"So what's the plan for today?" Rory asked. Lorelai shrugged.

"Hop on the space shuttle and go off to the moon to cure some obscure flesh eating disease that you can only get after spending extensive amounts of time watching Hello Dolly over and over again?" She suggested.

"Or…"

"Or we have the Spirit Committee coming in for their event today, and my goal is to hide in my office to keep Taylor out of my way." Rory nodded.

"That's always a good plan."

"So what do you have going on today?" Lorelai asked.

"You know, Paris, Madeline and Louise planning my murder; fighting off the plethora of girls who hate me because I'm dating Tristan; a calculus test with Ms. Lewis; Saving the world…"

"So basically the norm?"

"Basically, yes."

"So I'll meet you here at four?" Rory shook her head.

"I have a meeting with Headmaster Charleston about the debate next week. He wants to know exactly how Paris and I plan to defend the use of uniforms in schools."

"Sounds exciting. So when do you think you'll be home?"

"Hopefully it won't take too long. I'm assuming we'll be done by four-thirty, and Tristan is going to drive me home. I should be back by five."

"Okay, well, five is too late to meet here, so I'll just see you at home." Rory nodded.

"Although we're going to have to stop for coffee on the way. I can't go all night without Luke's coffee." As Rory said this, Luke came up to the table and gave them their plates.

"You should try to kick the habit cold-turkey," he suggested. Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, we pay you for it. Shouldn't you be more grateful for our addiction?" Luke sighed.

"I would be if I didn't know I was slowly killing both of you."

"Your concern is duly noted, although you forget one thing: We don't run without coffee. If you didn't supply us we would shut down and die, and that, my friend, would be all on you!" Lorelai joked. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why I bother." She shrugged.

"Neither do we, but it wouldn't be the same if you didn't."

"The coffee wouldn't be as satisfying," Rory said.

"The eggs wouldn't be as sausagy," Lorelai added.

"The pancakes wouldn't be as fattening," Rory continued. Lorelai smiled up at him.

"And we would all live far less fulfilling lives." Luke just shook his head.

"I've got customers to serve," he said, backing away from the table. Lorelai and Rory just looked at each other with grins, never ceasing to be terribly amused at the way they could drive Luke crazy in a matter of seconds. It was a talent.

It was five-to-seven when Lorelai and Rory pulled into the elder-Gilmore's driveway. The two of them downed their coffee from Luke's as fast as possible before heading up to the door.

"Do I look okay?" Rory asked, flattening down her skirt.

"They wouldn't notice if you wore a pair of 'juicy' pants and a shirt with a design of two cigarettes going at it. All they'd notice is your pretty pretty face," Lorelai answered with a grin. Rory rolled her eyes and was about to respond when a maid opened the door.

"Hey there," Lorelai greeted. The maid smiled and took their coats.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore are waiting for you in the living room," she told them before walking away. Lorelai and Rory walked into the living room, stopping short at the door.

"Uhh…" Lorelai said, stammering.

"Lorelai, Rory, so wonderful to see you," Emily greeted, coming over to meet them.

"Uh, hi, Grandma," Rory greeted, still a little confused. Emily pulled her into the room and sat her down on the couch.

"Well don't just stand there, Lorelai. Come join us," Emily demanded. Lorelai just continued to look for a moment in shock before following them to the chairs and taking a seat next to Rory.

"Hey, Lor," said the man in the chair across from them.

"Chris," Lorelai greeted, still very confused. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Lorelai, that's no way to greet our guest," Emily scolded.

"Oh, sorry," she said, still looking at Chris surprised. Rory felt compelled to jump in.

"Dad. Hi," she greeted. Chris smiled warmly at her.

"Hey, Ror. How have you been?" he asked. Rory shrugged.

"Pretty good. We didn't know you were going to be here," she said, excusing her mothers tongue-tiedness.

"Yea, well, I was in town on business and ran into Richard. He invited me over for dinner," Chris explained.

"So what business were you doing here in Hartford, Christopher?" Emily asked in her best 'hostess' tone.

"My company is thinking of expanding into the area. They sent me out because I know the area and some people in it." Emily smiled widely and nodded.

"So you're going to be around here more often?" Chris shrugged.

"Well, we still haven't finalized anything, but there's a good chance of it."

"Well, I think that's wonderful Christopher. We need more hard-working businessmen around here," Richard said, speaking for the first time since the younger Gilmore's had arrived.

"Well, now that we've all said hello, would anybody like something to drink?" Emily asked, standing and looking around.

"I'll have a Martini," Lorelai jumped in quickly.

"That sounds good, I'll have one too," Chris said after a moment.

"I'll have a coke if you've got one, Grandma," Rory asked with a smile. Richard stood up.

"I'll help you dear. You kids talk, catch up," he suggested. He and Emily headed out of the room to the bar while Rory, Chris, and Lorelai sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Soo…" Chris started.

"I didn't know you were in town," Lorelai said quickly. Chris nodded.

"Yea, I meant to call you, it's just been really busy." Rory smiled.

"So how long are you here?"

"Only until tomorrow, unfortunately. I've got to get back to Boston."

"Yes, you do," Lorelai said, feeling very uneasy. Chris raised an eyebrow.

"So how have things been with you, Lor?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Very well, thanks," she said, not entirely sure why his very presence was annoying her.

"The inn's been good?" She nodded.

"It's great."

"And…" he said, realizing there wasn't much left for him to ask about.

"And what?" she asked, almost daring him to ask about her love life. He shrugged.

"Everything's good?"

"Everything's good," she confirmed. Rory had looked between the two of them during the exchange, noting the discomfort. Finally Emily and Richard came back in with the drinks.

After friendly conversation for about half an hour, between everyone except Lorelai, the five made their way into the dining room for dinner.

About halfway through dinner Lorelai excused herself to go to the bathroom, needing a moment to herself away from Chris to gather her thoughts. Their last encounter hadn't been a happy one. She recalled the day when she told him that she was finally able to let go of her feelings for him and move on, and the way he exploded at her, as though she had insulted him. She had known after that day that she didn't want anything to do with him, and now she was thrown into a situation with him and was entirely unhappy about it.

She stood in the doorway to the bathroom, leaning against the door frame, collecting her thoughts, when suddenly they were interrupted.

"Can we talk, Lor?" Chris asked, coming up and leaning against the wall outside of the bathroom. She looked up at him, annoyed and angered.

"You shouldn't be here, Chris," she said in a low tone. He sighed.

"I thought we were past all that, Lor," he said softly. She rolled her eyes.

"You expect me to just get past you springing that woman on me and Rory, and then getting mad at _me_ for, heaven forbid, feeling happy that I was finally over it?" Chris looked down at the floor and then back up to Lorelai.

"Sherry's gone. She left a few weeks ago," he said softly. She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," she told him. He rolled his eyes.

"Yea, I know you were such a fan of the whole thing."

"It doesn't matter what I think," she said. He shook his head.

"It shouldn't." She looked at him curiously. "But it does. To me, anyways."

"Why?" her voice was barely a whisper. He shrugged.

"Because I still love you," he said simply. Lorelai sighed deeply and walked past him to her old bedroom which was across the hallway. "What are you thinking, Lor?" She shook her head.

"I'm thinking you should leave." Her simple conviction surprised him.

"Why?" it took her a moment to respond. For reasons she wasn't sure about, at this moment, her thoughts turned to Luke. She couldn't hold back the small smile that formed on her lips when she thought about the way he was, only with her.

"Because I don't love you," she answered. Chris looked her.

"Oh, Lor. You don't mean that…"

"No, I do, Chris. I do," she said quickly, cutting him off. "I waited for a really long time for you to get your act together and come back to Rory and me, but after the last time you came over, I decided just to be through with it. And I am now. I'm through with it. I'm done. I don't love you, or even like you that much right now, to be honest." Chris looked taken aback.

"Why are you saying this?" he asked, not believing a word of it.

"Because it's true, Chris. And you know what, even if it wasn't true, it wouldn't matter, because it needs to be true. When I see my future and who I have that perfect family with, that whole package, I don't see you in the picture."

"Then who do you see?" he asked, feeling a little angered that she wasn't jumping into his arms as she usually would. She smiled lightly.

"Someone special," she said softly. She looked straight at him. "But not you." With that she brushed past him out of the room and headed back to the dining room to finish the dinner. After a few moments Chris went back to the dining room and politely excused himself and left.

It wasn't until Rory and Lorelai were halfway home that Rory spoke up about the nights events.

"What happened between you and Dad tonight?" she asked softly. Lorelai sighed.

"He said he was in love with me," she answered simply. Rory looked at her surprised.

"Well, what did you say?" she asked, not really sure what to expect.

"I said I didn't love him. I told him that I had that perfect family picture in my head, and he wasn't a part of it anymore." Rory bit her lip, oddly relieved by this new information.

"So who is a part of it?" she asked after a moment. Lorelai shook her head.

"It's stupid," she said, waving off the question.

"No, seriously. Who is it?"

"It's really dumb," Lorelai said, laughing lightly, glad her daughter didn't seem upset about the events with Christopher.

"Is it Kirk?" she asked. Lorelai looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Kirk?!"

"Well, you never can know what goes on in your mind, Mom," she said with a grin, knowing already who the lucky man was. Lorelai just laughed and shook her head.

"Not Kirk, sorry. I know you really wanted to call him Daddy too." Rory laughed.

"So Luke, huh?" she said after a moment. Lorelai just smiled, and Rory knew it was true. "You should do something about it."

"Like what? Serenade him with a selection of tunes made especially for lumberjacks?" Rory laughed lightly.

"Just tell him how you feel. Everyone knows he feels the same." Lorelai nodded, knowing she was right.

"I'm sorry it's not your Dad, kid," she said after a moment. Rory shrugged.

"He doesn't need to be your 'whole package' in order to be my Dad. Just as long as you're happy," Rory said. Lorelai smiled.

"You're pretty great, you know that?" She asked. Rory nodded.

"I know. I got that memo."

With that the two rode home with a comfortable conversation flowing between them, both happy about the revelations made, and exciting about the new possibilities of the Lorelai/Luke future pairing.

Rory just hoped her mother didn't wait too long to make her move.

**So, a little bit of a snag, but that's okay. I just love to see Chris get beaten down, and I love to write it… It brings a smile to my face and warm fuzzy feeling to my stomach. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know**


	6. What Day is it Now?

The next two days went by without a hitch. Lorelai woke up, dressed professionally, went to work, and approached every situation with confidence. She was a little surprised at how persuasive she could be without using her femininity to get what she needed, and was also very happy to finally have all of the drama with Chris behind her. Her realizations about Luke had also given her a little bit more confidence that helped her to get through without feeling the need to flirt for anything. It was all going quite smoothly.

Smoothly, that is, until day seven.

Lorelai walked into Luke's around seven PM and took a seat at the counter. Luke came out of the kitchen and walked to where she was.

"Hey," she said with a bright smile. He nodded to her.

"What'll you have?" he asked, pulling out his notepad and pen.

"Just coffee," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Have you had dinner?" She shrugged.

"I had a bagel around four."

"And you're not hungry?" she shook her head, trying not to laugh at the look of concern on his face. "Are you feeling okay?" She chuckled.

"What? I can't just not be hungry?" He shook his head.

"I don't know, it's never happened before." She shrugged again.

"There's a first time for everything." He continued to look at her.

"You sure you're okay?" She sighed deeply.

"Coffee? Please?" she asked. He sighed and turned around, filling a large mug with coffee and setting it in front of her.

"You sure I can't get you anything?" She smiled at him.

"A shot of straight cooking sherry?" He rolled his eyes.

"So, how was your day?" he asked, choosing not to indulge her. She shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. Michel was a pain, but that's to be expected."

"Yea, well. Maybe the sale on Chanel products is over," he quipped. She laughed lightly.

"Naw, I'd be way more depressed if that were the case." Luke looked as though he was about to say something when something else popped into his mind.

"Oh, hey. You know, I just remembered I have something to give you," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"A present?" she asked. She held out her hands. "Gimme!" Luke chuckled.

"It's in my apartment," he said. He began to walk toward the curtain. "You coming?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"Upstairs?"

"Yeah."

"To your apartment?"

"Yeah," he repeated, not sure where she was going with this. Then it happened. The massive and painfully obvious 'Flirt'.

"Why, Lucas Danes. I do declare!" she said in a drawl.

Luke raised an eyebrow "What?"

"You're taking me up to your apartment without so much as a date? Well, normally I'd let my prudish instincts take over, but since it's you I can make an exception," she finished with a wink and a wide grin. Luke laughed lightly.

"You're flirting with me," was all he said. Lorelai's face suddenly turned to one of shock, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

"That wasn't a flirt! I swear!" she exclaimed.

"Yes it was."

"No, it wasn't. I mean, it was. But it's different. I'm not flirting to get something I want. I was flirting to be funny. It's not the same thing!" Luke was laughing now. He just motioned for her to follow him as he headed to the stairs. She jumped off the stool and ran after him, continuing to try to explain how her flirt was actually a non-flirt while still being a flirt.

When they finally reached Luke's apartment door, he stepped aside so she could go in ahead of him, and then closed the door behind him.

"I lost the bet," she realized with an unhappy expression. He shrugged and walked past her into his bedroom area.

"Yea, but it's not that big a deal," he said. She sighed deeply.

"I really wanted to make it the whole week," she said softly. He finally pulled something out from beside his bed and made his way over to her.

"Well, technically you only had about fifteen minutes to go," he said, walking over to her. "Don't worry about it. You did good." He handed her a small bouquet of flowers. A wide smile took the place of the frown that had graced her features a moment before.

"Luke," she said softly, taking hold of the lilies. "What's this for?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I felt kinda bad about the crappy week you were having, and I know I was the cause of most of it. So I just wanted to make it up to you." He walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a small plate and unwrapping what was on it. He walked over to her and gave her the brownie that was on it. "I figured if anything could make you feel better it's calories and flowers." She smiled widely.

"You didn't have to do this," she said, taking a bite from the brownie. He grinned.

"I wanted to." She walked over to the table and set down the gifts and walked back over to him.

"You're sweet, you know that?" he laughed lightly.

"I am _not_ sweet."

"Yes, you are," she nudged him lightly. He grinned. "Thank you, Luke. This means a lot to me."

"Well, don't let it get out. Don't want people to think I'm going soft," he said. She grinned.

"_Dirty_," she said with a wide grin. He rolled his eyes, and was about to say something when he was cut off by her lips on his own.

Lorelai didn't know what compelled her to kiss him, but now that she did, she didn't regret it. She pulled back after only a few seconds.

"What was that for?" he asked, surprised. He licked his lips unconsciously, enjoying the taste her lip gloss had left there. She shrugged.

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. He nodded slowly and averted his gaze to the floor. "Wanna do it again?" she asked. His eyes shot up to hers.

"Are you serious?" She bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly. A grin spread across his features. "We can do it again. If you want," he responded. She laughed lightly.

"I want," she said softly. Slowly he leaned down, just barely grazing her lips with his own before pulling back. "You call that a kiss?" she asked breathily. He laughed lightly.

"I don't know what to call that."

"Well, let me show you a kiss so you can properly label whatever that was." Lorelai placed her hands on the sides of his head and pulled him down to her, locking them in a long, searing kiss. Slowly he began to respond, snaking his arms around her midsection and pulling her closer to him, while she pulled him closer with her arms around his neck.

When she felt his tongue playing at the entrance to her mouth she opened to allow him in. Slowly but passionately they explored each others mouths with their tongues, and bodies with their hands.

After several moments they pulled apart breathlessly.

"I've got to get back down to the diner," he said, coming back to reality. She sighed and nodded.

"What about this," she said, pointing between them. He sighed.

"What do you want it to be?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Us?" she asked. He smiled widely and nodded.

"I want that too," he said. He leaned in and kissed her again, softly this time. She smiled as he pulled back.

"So, does this mean you aren't going to deprive me of coffee for the next week?" He laughed.

"No. I'm definitely denying you coffee for the next week," he said. She looked at him incredulously.

"It was fifteen minutes!" she argued. He just shrugged. "You are an evil man!"

"And damn proud of it," he said with a grin. "But I'm sure I can find other methods of keeping you... energized." She raised an eyebrow.

"Luke, that was very dirty!" she said with a wide grin. He feigned innocence.

"I was talking about healthy food. It gives you that kick when you need it without slowly killing you from the inside out." She rolled her eyes and walked back over to the table grabbing the flowers and brownie.

"I'm gonna go home and put these in water," she said. He nodded.

"Can I call you later?" he asked, not sure exactly where they stood in terms of their relationship. She smiled widely and nodded.

"You'd better," she said. She kissed him slowly for a short time before pulling back.

"Night Luke," she said softly. She turned and headed to the door, and out, leaving a smiling Luke in his apartment, the events of the past several moments circling through his head like a tornado.

Finally after a few moments he pulled himself back to reality and headed downstairs to close the diner, the smile on his face never diminishing.

He never thought he'd be the one who could make her flirt, but he couldn't have been happier to have it go any other way, and despite her loss, neither could Lorelai.

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):)The End:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

**Okay, I know, I know. I wanted her to make it too! But if she did, where would all of the javajunkieness be? Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, you've made this as much fun to write as I hope it was to read. Let me know your thoughts**

**-Christie :)**


	7. Alternate Ending

The Bet: An Alternate Ending

The next few days went on without a hitch. Lorelai woke up, dressed professionally, went to work, and approached every situation with confidence. She was a little surprised at how persuasive she could be without using her femininity to get what she needed.

The final day of the bet had finally arrived. Oddly enough, Lorelai found this day to be the hardest of the seven, knowing she was only hours away from being able to go back to her normal self. She was determined though. She was _not_ going to give up coffee for a whole week.

When she walked into Luke's at 7:15 that evening, she took a seat at the counter waiting for her coffee. With only ten minutes left to the bet, she was feeling like it was time for a victory cup of coffee. Luke came out of the kitchen and walked to where she was.

"Hey," she said with a bright smile. He nodded to her.

"What'll you have?" he asked, pulling out his notepad and pen.

"Coffee," she said with a wide smile. He pulled out a mug and poured it for her.

"Anything else?" She thought for a moment.

"No, I'm good for now," she said, taking a long sip of her coffee. He checked his watch.

"Just ten minutes to go," he noted. She nodded and smiled.

"I know," she responded with a grin. He just shook his head. "Impressed?" she asked.

"There's still time," he said, grinning. She looked at him, mouth agape.

"It's been a whole week, and you think I'm going to break in the last ten minutes? Oh, ye of little faith," she exclaimed, taking another sip of her coffee. He leaned down against the counter close to her.

"You're just lucky I haven't been trying to throw you off of your game," he said conspiratorially. She raised an eyebrow.

"And you think _you_ can throw me off my game?" she asked, leaning in unconsciously. He shrugged and just moved a little closer, lowering his tone slightly.

"I have my ways," he said, trying unsuccessfully not to grin when she reared back.

"I know what you're doing here. It's not gonna work." He shrugged and backed away, grabbing a towel and heading out to wipe down a table. Lorelai turned back to her coffee, proud that she had successfully evaded his attempts.

She was just about to take a sip when she felt him come up behind her. He placed his hands on the counter on either side of her and pressed his chest flush against her back, while breathlessly saying in her ear "Five minutes." She flushed despite herself. She resisted the urge to turn around and give it right back to him. She hadn't expected him to make the last few moments so difficult.

"I'll take some more coffee," she said, sliding her mug across the counter. He chuckled in her ear, his breath on her skin causing her to tingle slightly. Slowly he backed away, grazing her back with his arm as he walked by her. He went to the task of filling her cup while she checked her watch.

"Three minutes," she said aloud. He nodded.

"So close, yet so far," he commented, sliding the fresh coffee over to her. She just rolled her eyes and took a sip. Her nose crinkled in response to the taste.

"This is decaf!" she exclaimed, shoving it away. He shrugged.

"Yea?"

"I want _real_ coffee," she told him. He chuckled.

"How bad?" he asked. She bit her lip and checked her watch again. Two minutes.

"Please give me caffeine," she asked, politely, but not flirtatiously. He shook his head.

"I'm gonna need more incentive then that," he said, enjoying her flustered response. She sighed deeply and stood up, walking away from the counter and out the door, standing just outside the diner. She looked at her watch once again. A minute and a half.

The door opened behind her and Luke stepped out, standing close to her.

"It's cold out here," he commented. She nodded.

"It's February," she said.

"You gonna stand out here for the next minute?" he asked. She nodded, folding her arms over her chest against the cold. He shrugged off his flannel and placed it over her shoulders. She spared a glance at him. His t-shirt was tight. He knew it, too. She looked at him appreciatively, as he towered over her in his tight shirt that showed off his muscles, while she wore his flannel that he was nice enough to give up.

"Thanks," she mumbled. He grinned and looked at his watch.

"Twenty seconds. You think you can make it?" She just grinned and bit her lip, watching her clock tick down the seconds.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" she cried…. "Happy New Year!" She flung the flannel up in the air, catching it with a grin. Luke just laughed.

"Get in here," he said, opening the door and holding it for her. She gratefully stepped inside and headed back to the counter, taking her seat. She slipped the flannel back on, not wanting to give it up just yet.

"Okay, time to start collecting. I'd like a massive cup of coffee please. Caffeinated," she ordered. He shook his head and pulled out a bigger cup, filling it to the brim with _proper_ coffee, which she accepted gratefully.

"I'm proud of you," he told her, leaning against the counter. She smiled at him and nodded.

"You know what? So am I," she said, happily sipping her victory beverage.

"You should be," he said as he headed back out into the now empty diner and began to put the chairs up on tables. He turned the 'open' sign to 'closed' and went back behind the counter to clean up some dishes. Lorelai watched him work as she hugged the flannel against her.

"Hey Luke?" she asked. He turned, leaning against the counter to listen to her. "What would you have done if I flirted back tonight?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I would have won." She nodded while rolling her eyes.

"Well, yea. But what would you have done? I mean, you were laying it on pretty thick there," she said. He shrugged, not really sure where she was going with her line of questioning.

"I don't know. I guess I'd have to be in the situation to know what I'd do." She nodded.

"But if I gave it back, would you keep on going with it, or would you stop?" He looked at her silently for a moment, not knowing entirely how to respond.

"I guess I'd have to see where you were going with it," he responded, leaning a little closer. She, in turn, leaned against the counter.

"Where would you like to go with it?" she asked, allowing herself to flirt a little now that the bet was won. He looked at her with a mix of confusion and hope.

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," he said. She shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, haven't you ever just wondered where it could go?"

"Where what could go? Our flirting?" he asked. She nodded. "I don't know. Maybe sometimes. Why? Have you?" She shrugged with a small grin gracing her featured.

"Yeah. I mean, sometimes. I've probably given it a little more thought recently then before. But yeah, I've thought about it."

"You've thought about us?" he asked, clarifying. She nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, haven't you?" he nodded slightly, realizing that they were now treading on dangerous waters.

"Sure. From time to time I guess I have thought of us."

"And?" she questioned. He shrugged.

"And. I don't know. It could be interesting," he said, not really sure how to word what he was feeling, or even sure if she was feeling the same way. She smiled, reassuring him.

"Yeah. I think so too," she said, allowing herself to smile completely. He smiled slightly.

"So… what now?" he asked tentatively. She shrugged.

"We could go upstairs. Pound out the details," she suggested. He raised his eyebrow.

"Pound out the details?" he questioned, mocking her. She laughed lightly and stood up. She rounded the counter and stood directly in front of him. She raised her hand to his cheek, feeling the stubble there, and stood on her tip-toes, kissing him quickly on the mouth. He grinned and reached up, finding her hand with his, taking it in his own. He used her hand to pull her close to him, and slowly dipped down, catching her mouth with his own, softly. She smiled against his lips as she returned the gesture.

He wrapped his arms around her as they continued to explore the kiss. He pulled her as close as he could, while she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, entangling her fingers in the hair coming out from his hat. When they broke a moment later, neither could contain the smiles.

"Well, come on," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the stairs. "We've got some details to discuss."

_So, I know a lot of people wanted Lorelai to win. Heck, I wanted Lorelai to win, so I wrote and alternate ending. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know._


End file.
